Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Mitt Romney may adopt a softer tone on illegal immigration now that the long and divisive primary is over and he gears up for a head-to-head battle with Barack Obama....

"We have to get Hispanic voters to vote for our party," he told donors, according to NBC. Latinos' overwhelming support for Democrats and Obama "spells doom for us," he said.

Commentary by walford

Not all Latinos support illegal immigration and those who do would NEVER vote GOP in the first place. We don't need them. They are either hell-bent on Reconquista or they are not eligible to vote. Both of those groups will be voting Obama in November.

Rather than enforce existing laws, is Romney willing to try to be more of an appeaser to illegal immigration than is Barack Obama? If so, he will fail at this and instead only serve to alienate the Republican base who will be only more inclined to either stay home or vote third party.

What should be done instead? We do not need to militarize the border, build a wall or seek mass deportations. Instead, three things that will cost no money will more than suffice in addressing the illegal immigration issue effectively.

Reserve all taxpayer-funded benefits for U.S. citizens and legal residents. No driver's licenses. No welfare. No food stamps. No education. Such services should be sought in their native lands. The United States is not obligated to provide for the rest of the world.

Clarify the 14th Amendment so it applies as it was intended when enacted. Those born slaves or born to slaves in U.S. territory are citizens. Those born to non-citizens -- particularly those who are here illegally -- are citizens of their home countries. The United States is one of the few countries of the world that do not have this policy. There is no good reason for pregnant women braving the desert in pursuit of giving birth to a taxpayer-funded meal ticket.

All who are convicted of crimes in this country and found to be here illegally should be summarily deported.

These and similar measures will result in many who are here illegally deporting themselves as well as those who are contemplating coming here remaining home and reforming their own countries. The number of American unemployed will have more job opportunities and higher wages as the labor glut is alleviated. By all means, compare the number of unemployed Americans to the number of people in this country illegally.

It is said that Americans would not pick strawberries or pluck chickens, so we must allow illegal immigration, guest worker programs and/or amnesty. In actuality, Americans would not do such work at the wages paid to people here illegally by exploitative employers.

Fostering or even tolerating illegal immigration is not compassionate. It is cruel.

Mexican governments over the past couple of generations have been spared internal pressures to curb the cronyism, respect human rights and foster a business-friendly environment. Why? Because the United States has been serving as a political and economic safety valve for various despotic regimes in the world. The results have been bad for ordinary people on both sides of the border.

Gov. Romney, I implore you to reconsider on this and all other major issues that you may be considering conceding in pursuit of so-called moderate voters. Ronald Reagan won decisively in two national elections because he unabashedly held to the principles upon which the Party of Abraham Lincoln was founded. Unity. Freedom. Family. Self-Reliance. Empowerment. God. Country. Security at home and abroad.

We have had enough of having the GOP leadership taking the base for granted and attempting to placate the squishy middle. They will be attracted to those who actually stand for something. Prove your conservative detractors wrong and don’t betray us. Show us the courage of convictions and don’t apologize for who you are or for America.

Both parties know well what the will and interests of the American people are with respect to illegal immigration and have let us down.

Too many Democrats consider them voters to be bought with taxpayer-funded largesse. Many also are attracted to the fact that they come from places where questioning government authority is hazardous to one's health.

Let us not count you, Gov. Romney as among those Republicans who are beholden to commercial interests that are addicted to cheap, easily exploitable labor.